Let There be Light: Massachusetts Church's Annual Display Going on 64 Years

Photo — National Shrine of La Salette Festival of Lights 2017/FacebookATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) — Thanksgiving is not just about family and turkey dinners — it's also about the annual Festival of Lights at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro.

The Roman Catholic shrine flipped the switch Thursday on the 64th annual festival that commemorates the birth of Christ.

The shrine says the 10-acre display features 300,000 lights, but maintenance crew chief Adam Steed tells The Sun Chronicle that no one has ever actually counted and he suspects there are many more than that.

The shrine also holds daily Masses and confessions in conjunction with the festival, which is free and open to people of any religion.